Where can members of Congress, congressional staff, and members of the public go to videotape live water bears, get pictures of their own cheek cells, and test the latest in robotic limbs? The second annual Capitol Hill Life Science Fair and Reception, hosted on June 20, 2019, by the Coalition for the Life Sciences and the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology! There 13 participating life science organizations, universities, and societies offered more than 200 attendees the opportunity to engage with researchers, perform small experiments, experience eye disease through interactive goggles, learn about model organisms with exhibits of zebrafish and tardigrades, understand the importance and safety of vaccinating your children, and much more. Plus attendees could leave with a necklace made of their own DNA.
The Capitol Hill Life Science Fair and Reception is a unique opportunity not only to showcase fun and interactive science but to make a strong case for federally funded research. The majority of the exhibitors are funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. The event showcased the broad range of research taking place because of this funding.
Organizations That Participated in the Science Fair:
Association of American Medical Colleges,
American Association for Cancer Research,
American Association of Immunologists,
American Physiological Society,
Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology,
American Society for Cell Biology,
Department of Embryology at Carnegie Science,
The Jackson Laboratory,
Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation,
Society for Neuroscience,
Society for Toxicology,
University of California, San Francisco, and
University of Chicago
